Sharayah Long, resident director of House of Mary Maternity Home in Livingston, recently provided a program for the Rotary Club of Livingston. Long, her husband Justin, and their three children live in the local maternity home and are considered the house parents.
“I just want to tell you how impressed I am with what they do. Sharayah and her husband Justin are very good role models for the ladies that come through there,” Rotarian Danny Moseley said as he introduced her.
“I’m going into my second year as resident director. I fell in love with it. I just fell in love with the mission,” Long said, adding that what they do is show the women a different way of life.
Located at 112 New Hope Dr., House of Mary Maternity Home is right next to First Baptist Church Livingston.
“It is a beautiful home that is completely paid off. We are a home. We are a family. We share family meals. We clean on Saturday,” Long said.
“We try to power, equip and educate our ladies. We encourage them to go to school or to work. We want them while they are with us to use their time wisely. We help them with school, work, housing and resumes. We also have spiritual programs, Bible studies and attendance at church,” she said.
“We partner with G.R.A.C.E. Pregnancy Outreach and MET to give them a well-rounded and holistic program,” she said.
Long said residents must be 18 or older and may be at any stage of their pregnancy. She said the majority of residents are 20-26, though they have had them as old as 30.
“We’re helping them get on their feet,” she said, adding that there are presently two young ladies residing there. “We want them to be ready and comfortable when they leave the house. The goal is for them to transition from the home at two months post-partum.
Long said the organization has a wonderful team of volunteers that come in occasionally to hold cooking classes or movie nights. They also provide baby showers for the ladies to ensure that they have everything they need upon transitioning.
“I love being at House of Mary. It is a hard job. It’s life work. It’s about the people,” Long said, adding that all of the funding comes from individuals and churches.
They have just begun a new campaign called “1 in 100” based on Acts 2:44-47 which says, “All the believers were together and had everything in common … they gave to anyone who had need.”
Because they shared the burden, no one was left behind, and the community flourished. Supporters of House of Mary believe in that same radical community and are looking for 100 partners to believe as well. When 100 people commit to giving $100 monthly, the entire operating budget is covered. This means every other dollar raised throughout the year goes directly toward expansion, new programs, and life-changing services for the women served.
To become “1 in 100,” or to learn more about House of Mary, go to homlivingston.org, call 936-433-2078 or email info@homlivingston.org.
